Deep Purple 

Former aircraft radio mechanic Ritchie Blackmore meanwhile showed all air-guitarists why he is truly the king of riffs, with his work on Purple's two biggest hits, Smoke On The Water and Black Night.

Deep Purple In Rock (1970) has been recognised as the first Hard Rock album ever and is undoubtedly one of those albums everybody seems to know - if not the music then at least the cover.

In 1971 the hand of fate took the band to Montreux at the same time as Frank Zappa's Mothers Of Invention, and their witnessing of the burning down of the Casino, immortalised in Smoke On The Water with Blackmore's famous riff, (heard in guitar shops and garages the world over), and Gillan's simple re-telling of events, elevated them and their record to legendary status

In September 1973, David Coverdale left his job as a menswear shop assistant in a small Yorkshire town to join Deep Purple as vocalist. All over the world, male 6th form students grew their hair long and got stoned for the very first time to the funereal organ music of Jon Lord and budding guitarists everywhere tried to emulate Blackmore in their bedrooms (oo-er missus!)

Ritchie Blackmore's final Deep Purple gig (captured on their 1975 album, Live In Paris) features some of the campest metal ever recorded, with David Coverdale's fruity exhortations to "Come orn!" screeching over cheesy Hammond organ and the guitar wizard's inevitably lengthy solos.

Tommy Bolin died of a heroin overdose on 4 December 1976.

Young Ritchie B went on to further fame and fortune with his solo effort, Rainbow, while the others went on to enjoy mixed solo success, not to mention The Butterfly Ball (I said NOT to mention that!).